How Companies Use Desktop Video Conferencing to InnovateIn a fast-paced, global economy, companies that prioritize innovation can gain a competitive advantage. However, innovating quickly and frequently, which is a must, requires the ability for team members to communicate clearly, bounce ideas off one another, and collaborate closely; yet, they are likely physically scattered around the world. Video conferencing bridges distances and facilitates collaboration while simultaneously reducing avoidable issues such as miscommunication and misunderstandings which could derail a company’s progress. Among its many benefits, video conferencing has been shown to:

• Increase productivity• Increase work-life balance• Reduce the time to complete projects• Make it easier to get a point across• Reduce travel costs

Desktop video conferencing is a flexible tool that belongs in any innovative company’s toolbox. Below are just a few ways that companies are harnessing the power of video conferencing to increase innovation.

Desktop Video Conferencing as a Critical Innovation Tool in Research and Development

An article in Harvard Business Review recently identified six critical factors that have contributed to successful global R & D initiatives. One success factor was the encouragement of global engineering using the right processes and tools such as video conferencing. Agilent’s Chief Technology Officer Darlene Solomon said having a telepresence across all R & D sites was key to overcoming the challenges associated with global engineering. This sentiment was echoed by the head of Polycom’s India Innovation Center, Anurag Arg, who said, “Video conferencing as a tool is a big enabler for better collaboration with remote teams.”

Improving Innovation in the Healthcare Industry with Video Conferencing

A white paper by Cisco discusses a number of innovative use cases for video collaboration, one of which involves the healthcare industry. Ever under pressure to bring down costs and work more efficiently, hospitals and other institutions are increasingly turning to video services to make telemedicine a reality and slash their costs. For example, instead of having dozens of full-time interpreters on staff, hospitals can initiate a video conference with a video-based interpreter network, cutting costs while increasing their ability to communicate with patients speaking any number of languages.

Tapping into a Larger Creative Pool with Video Conferencing

According to an article on Wired’s Innovation Insights blog post, 7 Reasons Top Tech Teams are Flocking to Video Conferencing, video conferencing is becoming the default way to conduct meetings - especially in today’s global business environment. While improved communications, better focus, fewer cultural barriers, and shorter meetings were among the many benefits distributed companies experience, video conferencing is also beneficial as far as bringing in smart, creative, and innovative talent for your team.

For instance, with hundreds of thousands of engineering vacancies in the United States and a global talent pool, companies can use video conferencing to interview potential candidates from around the world. What if a company finds a shining star in another country? Or has a brilliant innovator who needs to relocate for personal reasons? Once again, video conferencing allows for creative collaboration across borders.

Video Conferencing Increases Opportunities for Innovation

Desktop video conferencing can accelerate innovation and speed to market thanks to many of its time-savings and relationship-building benefits. Cisco claims it can reduce product development time by 25 percent. Rather than wasting time on travel or inefficient communications methods that lend themselves to misunderstandings, using real-time video conferences to communicate can boost employee productivity and free up time for creative pursuits like brainstorming, pondering “what if?” questions, and thinking outside the proverbial box.

Video Conferencing as a Learning Tool

Live video conferencing is an excellent tool for knowledge exchange and learning both in traditional academic institutions and in business environments. A case study examining traditional and video conference-based English language learning in China showed statistically significant learning gains compared to students who received traditional instruction.

Each video conference has the potential to be useful to others in the future, which is why many innovative companies record them. Previous meetings, explanations of best practices, subject matter experts’ presentations, and other recordings can be stored online in a knowledge management system, readily accessible to employees as needed.

Video collaboration represents a new way of working, a way that connects even the most remote working professionals despite geographic and cultural differences. Desktop video empowers team members to collaborate, brainstorm, share their ideas, exchange knowledge, inspire one another, and build stronger relationships as they work together to develop innovative goods and services.